THE BOYNE

Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean--roll!
Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain;
Man marks the earth, with ruin--his control
Stops with the shore;--upon the watery plain
The wrecks are all thy deed, nor doth remain
A shadow of man's ravage, save his own,
When, for a moment, like a drop of rain,
He sinks into thy depths with bubbling groan,
Without a grave, unknell'd, uncoffin'd, and unknown.

BYRON'S _Childe Harold_.


In the Preface to this work it has been stated that it is not our
intention to give a detailed account of every wreck that has happened
in the Royal Navy from the year 1793, to the present time, but only of
a few of those which appear to be most interesting. We therefore pass
over the first two years, giving only a catalogue of the wrecks that
occurred during that time; because the calamities that befel the
British Navy in 1793 and 1794 were but slight in comparison with those
of a later date. The first loss that we have to record is that of the
BOYNE, of 98 guns, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Peyton, and
commanded by Captain George Grey. This ship took fire as she lay at
anchor at Spithead, on the 1st of May, 1795.